ServiceNow on the move as it eyes room for expansion in Dublin

Company will rent 90,000sq ft in new Dawson Street development

Mark Cockerill of ServiceNow, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Martin Shanahan of IDA Ireland
Mark Cockerill of ServiceNow, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Martin Shanahan of IDA Ireland

Digital workflow company ServiceNow is to expand its offices in Ireland after agreeing a 12-year lease for four floors of a new development on Dawson Street.

The US software company will take 90,000sq ft in 60 Dawson Street, a 145,000sq ft Grade A office scheme that is due to be completed early next year. The new building will serve as the company’s Irish headquarters.

Although ServiceNow, did not say how many jobs it was planning to create in the coming years, the new base could comfortably accommodate more than double the number of new jobs it committed to creating last year. In April 2021 the company said it planned to add 300 jobs over the next three years, adding to the more than 100 already here.

ServiceNow opened in Dublin in 2018 and has been expanding ever since. Irish-based vice-president Mark Cockerill said it became apparent a while ago that its ambitions would outgrow ServiceNow’s space in the Sharp building.

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“We have continued to grow significantly during the pandemic,” he said. " We are very committed to Ireland and continued growth here. This is about planning for the future and establishing a real fundamental key headquarters for us in a great city-centre location.”

The new offices will accommodate the company’s growing workforce, which is largely hybrid. Hiring for the new roles announced last year has been continuing, and Mr Cockerill said the growth was expected to continue.

ServiceNow recently expanded its sales operation, with Paul Turley joining the company to lead its Irish enterprise sales business. Mr Turley has 25 years of experience and previously worked with Micro Focus, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Baltimore Technologies.

“The opportunity to lead this team of professionals focused on helping our Irish customers enhance the user experience for their employees, customers and partners, while driving down operational costs, is exciting,” said Mr Turley. “The ServiceNow platform is uniquely positioned in the market to help our customers achieve these goals, and I look forward to growing the business and the team over the coming years.”

Designed by architect Henry J Lyons, 60 Dawson Street is part of a wider mixed-use development that includes 46,000 sq ft of retail and leisure units. The deal to rent the office space was signed with real estate investment firm Mark and BCP Asset Management.

“No 60 Dawson Street is already one of Dublin’s most distinguished office assets and an important part of the city’s growing reputation as a centrepiece of the European economy,” said Peter Evans, senior vice-president at Mark.

ServiceNow had what it classed as a market-leading 2020, with revenues hitting $4.5 billion, a 31 per cent increase year on year.

The growth in the business has been fuelled by an increase in interest in digital business as the pandemic and its accompanying restrictions drove a shift towards digital transformations for companies.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist